INTERVIEW: Seattle coach Matt O’Dette talks Western Conference Final

Matt O’Dette: It obviously has the making of a good series. Two great teams going at it. Lots of talent on the ice. I think it’s no secret that both teams have been looking forward to this. That’s what competitors do. They want to play the best and that’s what we’ve got in front of us.

CK: The Blazers spoke about the challenges in facing Seattle. What are the challenges your team faces against Kamloops?

MO: Obviously the talent level is very high, but I think to go with that is the work ethic, the structure they have, the habits they have. Two similar teams. We like to see ourselves in the same light — a skilled team, but also works very hard and has great structure.

CK: The Blazers are undefeated in the playoffs so far, yet they’re underdogs with you guys 8-0 as well. What do you make of that?

MO: It’s no surprise they’re 8-0. They’re obviously playing very well in the playoffs. I don’t see them as underdogs. I think it’s a pretty evenly matched series. I think both teams have played well down the stretch in the regular season. Both teams have played well in the playoffs thus far, so that’s what you want in a matchup like this — both teams at their best, both teams healthy. Should make for a great series.

CK: There are 19 NHL drafted players and nine world junior players. What are your thoughts on the wealth on talent in this series?

MO: It’s mind-boggling when you really look at it. You don’t see that very often in junior hockey, two teams with that amount of talent — prospects, world junior experience, NHL drafted players. You don’t see that every day, so to be able to have a playoff matchup consisting of all these players, it’s going to be exciting to watch and obviously a treat for the fans.

CK: You took a flyer on Dylan Guenther with no guarantees he’d come back from the NHL. Lucky for your team, he was sent back down. What difference has he made?

OD: He’s made a big difference. At the time, as you said, it was a flyer, and no expectations of him coming. Obviously things fell into place nicely for us. Any time you can add a player like that with that type of experience, not only the NHL experience but he’s got playoff experience from last year [WHL champion with Edmonton], world junior experience, being in the big games and the big moments. Being able to add a player like that with that experience has been great for us. He’s come in and bought into everything here right away. He’s fit in great with our culture and our team. He’s got really good chemistry with [Brad] Lambert as well. Can’t say enough about him.

CK: Lambert was sent back down by the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, you get Guenther, and Colton Dach from Kelowna. What have those acquisitions done for your group?

OD: Done a lot. We were very proud of the foundation of the team that we had from the get-go. We’re a team that went to the [WHL] finals last year, had a lot of good returning players, had a great start to the season. We lost some players for the world juniors and didn’t really skip a beat. Proud of those stretches of the season. To be able to add on top of that has been great. Obviously Bill Laforge [Jr.], our GM, has done a great job adding to our foundation and what we already had. Somewhat calculated, crafty moves with no guarantees these guys would come. With the Dach trade, he wasn’t healthy at the time. We were hoping he would get healthy and be able to come back and contribute, and that’s been the case. Crafty moves by Bill, but this has been a process that’s been ongoing for years now with our ’03 draft, our ’04 players being key players to our team — [Kevin] Korchinski, [Jordan] Gustafson, [Nico] Mayatovich. It’s been a length process and obviously capped off with a great trade deadline.

CK: You guys went to Game 7 last year in Kamloops. Does this feel like it’s going to be a tough seven-game series?

OD: Yeah, it’s going to be a long series. We’re ready for a long series. Hotly-contested, back and forth, ebbs and flows, and I think the team that can handle those moments in the swings in momentum will have a good chance of coming out on top. We’re digging in for a long battle.

CK: As you know, there’s such a fine line between winning and losing, and with so much talent on each side, what do you think is going to be the difference in the series?

OD: It’s going to be very tight. There’s going to be swings in momentum and highs and lows for both teams. The team that can handle those moments, handle the adversity and be resilient at the right times will ultimately come out on top. We’re going to build on our experience from last year and apply that to this series.

Games 1 and 2 are Saturday (April 29) and Sunday (April 30) in Seattle before Games 3 and 4 back in Kamloops on Tuesday (May 2) and Wednesday (May 4) nights, respectively.

by Chad Klassen

INTERVIEW: Seattle coach Matt O’Dette talks Western Conference Final

Our Community